HMS Caesar - log extracts 
HMS Caesar - log extracts 


William Loney R.N.DocumentsShips' logs Eurydice

Extracts from the log of HMS Caesar for the period 14 June 1858 - 14 July 1861
Sources: ADM 53/7090, 14 June 1858 - 12 January 1859; ADM 53/7091, 13 January - 11 July 1859; ADM 53/7092, 12 July 1859 - 17 January 1860; ADM 53/7093, 18 January - 30 October 1860; ADM 53/7094, 31 October 1860 - 1 September 1861.

Portsmouth - Torbay - Plymouth - Berehaven - Plymouth - Port Royal (Jamaica) - Greytown (Mosquito) - Sacrificios (Mexico) - Havana - Portsmouth - Torbay - Plymouth - Gibraltar - Malta - Naples - Malta - Beirut - Malta - Corfu - Malta - Corfu - Zante Bay - Corfu

The 91 gun wooden screw ship-of-the-line Caesar, first commissoned by Captain John Robb for the Baltic in 1854, was recommissioned in 1858 by Captain Charles Frederick (who was to become a Commissioner of the Admiralty on 28 June 1859 and be replaced by Thomas Henry Mason). Frederick served on the Admiralty board until 25 March 1865, and was Commander-in-Chief at Queenstown in September 1866, when William Loney was (Staff) Surgeon at Haulbowline). During this commission Caesar served on the Channel and Mediterranean stations, although - while in the Channel Squadron - she was sent for a period of three months, together with the frigate Doris, to provide (as is revealed by Admiralty correspondence in ADM 128/54, folios 291-318) a strong British presence at Greytown, Mosquito, to discourage renewed activity by American "filibusters" - armed political adventurers.

The "Naval Intelligence" column of the "Times" newspaper (links in day-of-week column) gives some details of the ship's activities.

Here is a list of the ships principal commissioned officers during this period (from the Navy List; not yet checked with the ship's muster book for exact dates). The medical establishment consisted of two Surgeons, Joseph Caldwell and George Moore (the latter in lieu of an Assistant Surgeon) and one Assistant Surgeon, Edward Loney (until 4 June 1861, when he was invalided at Corfu with hemiplegia - i.e. the effects of a stroke - resulting in partial paralysis of right side and left cheek, and blindness of the right eye).

1858
14 Jun Mon Portsmouth, at moorings off Hardway. Henry Brehaut, Master, commissioned the ship. Hannibal's party preparing to receive ships company [Hannibal was Guard Ship of Ordinary at Portsmouth at the time]
26 Jun Sat 9 a.m. Discharged the moorings into a lighter and was taken in tow by two steam tugs
10.30 a.m. Lashed alongside HM ship Bellerophon
12 Jul Mon At single anchor, Spithead
9 Aug Mon Weighed
11 Aug Wed 49.30 °N 5.15 °W
15 Aug Sun At single anchor in Portland Roads
16 Aug Mon Weighed and made all plain sail
17 Aug Tue At single anchor off Spithead
25 Aug Wed 3.20 p.m. Weighed. Admiral in company
10 p.m. Med
[?] Admiral north one mile, squadron in co[mpany]
27 Aug Fri At single anchor, Torbay
30 Aug Mon Weighed, squadron in co[mpany]
1 Sep Wed At single anchor in Plymouth Sound
8 Sep Wed Steaming out of Plymouth Sound
13 Sep Mon At single anchor in Berehaven, Bantry Bay [south-west Ireland]
18 Sep Sat Steaming out of Bantry Bay
25 Sep Sat 50.6 °N 11.24 °W
1 Oct Fri 49.42 °N 11.9 °W
3 Oct Sun Moored in Plymouth Sound
21 Oct Thu Weighed, Diadem in company
28 Oct Thu 37.0 °N 19.3 °W
3 Nov Wed 26.36 °N 23.20 °W
10 Nov Wed 19.45 °N 30.16 °W
17 Nov Wed 18.2 °N 49.11 °W
24 Nov Wed 16.43 °N 66.50 °W
29 Nov Mon Diadem in company. At single anchor Port Royal, Jamaica
30 Nov Tue Fast to the Admirals moorings, Port Royal
7 Dec Tue Steaming out of Port Royal
11 Dec Sat At single anchor off Greytown [Mosquito]
1859
22 Mar Tue Weighed and proceeded under steam. Diadem in company
27 Mar Sun 3.55 p.m. Obsd an American signal of distress flying on shore, also a wreck
At single anchor off Cape Dios Gracioas. Lieutenant
[James W.] East in 2nd cutter to ascertain the cause of the signal of distress
28 Mar Mon Weighed
3 Apr Sun 22.29 °N 93.20 °W
5 Apr Tue At anchor off Sacrificios and Devastation
2 May Mon Weighed with Diadem
9 May Mon 25.42 °N 91.16 °W
15 May Sun At single anchor in Havana
19 May Thu Weighed, Diadem in company
26 May Thu 32.29 °N 75.12 °W
1 Jun Wed 35.43 °N 67.59 °W
8 Jun Wed 40.45 °N 45.44 °W
15 Jun Wed 44.44 °N 32.29 °W
22 Jun Wed Running for Portsmouth Sound, Diadem in company
23 Jun Thu At single anchor, Portsmouth Sound
25 Jun Sat Weighed and proceeded under steam into Hamoaze
At moorings off Hayham, Hamoaze
28 Jun Tue [Thomas Henry Mason captain]
2 Jul Sat In the Queens Dock, Keyham dockyard
21 Jul Thu At moorings off Keyham Yard
28 Jul Thu At single anchor, Plymouth Sound
22 Aug Mon Weighed
28 Aug Sun 48.52 °N 6.51 °W
2 Sep Fri At single anchor in Torbay
10 Sep Sat Steaming out of Torbay
14 Sep Wed At single anchor, Torbay
16 Sep Fri Weighed
Moored in Plymouth Sound
2 Oct Sun Weighed
9 Oct Sun 42.18 °N 12.1 °W
16 Oct Sun At single anchor off the New Mole, Gibraltar
19 Nov Sat Moored off the Old Mole [Gibraltar]
1860
11 Feb Sat a.m.
6 Up funnel, lighted fires, up steam
7.45 Unmoored ship & weighed S.B.
[Small Bower = port bow anchor]
Weighed B.B. [Best Bower = starboard bow anchor] and proceeded under steam. Employed as requisite. HM ships Marlborough, Neptune and Cadmus in company
p.m.
1.20 Made all sail to studding sails
2 Stopped engines
2.15 Up screw
15 Feb Wed 37.48 °N 6.21 °E
18 Feb Sat At moorings in Malta harbour
1 Apr Sun Slipped moorings and proceeded out of habour under steam
5 Apr Thu At anchor in Naples Bay
7 Jun Thu Weighed and proceeded under sail
8 Jun Fri At single anchor off Castellammare [di Stabia; south side of Naples Bay?]
12 Jun Tue Steaming from Castellammare to Naples
7 Jul Sat Weighed under all plain sail
At anchor off Castellammare
20 Jul Fri Weighed and braced up on stbd tack
Off Naples at anchor
4 Sep Tue Steaming out of Naples Bay
5 Sep Wed At anchor off Messina
6 Sep Thu Steaming out of Messina [Sicily, opposite Italy]
7 Sep Fri At moorings, Malta Grand Harbour
16 Sep Sun Being towed out of Malta Harbor
19 Sep Wed 35.29 °N 19.19 °E
22 Sep Sat 34.27 °N 24.33 °E
25 Sep Tue 33.41 °N 32.07 °E
27 Sep Thu At anchor at Beirut
11 Oct Thu Made all plain sail. Weighed on port tack. Cast off & hauled in hawser
15 Oct Mon 33.32 °N 33.02 °E
18 Oct Thu 33.33 °N 29.02 °E
22 Oct Mon 32.57 °N 24.55 °E
25 Oct Thu 33.55 °N 22.50 °E
29 Oct Mon 35.27 °N 16.48 °E
1 Nov Thu At moorings, Malta
8 Dec Sat In tow of tug. Steaming out of Malta
11 Dec Tue Moored in Corfu roads
1861
3 Jan Thu Weighed and made all plain sail
At single anchor off Boca di Govito[?]
7 Jan Mon 3 p.m. Weighed
5 p.m. At single anchor in Corfu channel
25 Jan Fri 2 p.m. [Rear] Admiral Dacres came on board, mustered ships company and inspected ship
2.30 p.m. Admiral left
26 Jan Sat Up steam.Weighed
29 Jan Tue At moorings in Malta, Grand Harbour
12 Mar Tue Leaving Malta harbour under steam
15 Mar Fri Moored in Corfu road
31 Mar Sun 8 a.m. Hoisted Royal Standard half mast & halfmasted ensign [Easter Sunday]
1 Apr Mon 8 a.m. Hoisted Royal Standard half mast [Easter Monday]
Saluted French consul with 9 guns on his leaving the ship
27 Jun Thu The Archduke Maximillian of Austria came onboard with Admiral Dacres
28 Jun Fri a.m.
8 Crossed royal yards and dressed ship in commemoration of Her Majesty's cononation
[28 June 1838]
p.m.
1.30 Undressed ship, down royal yards
1.45 Weighed B.B. and proceeded under steam. Queen , Victor Emanuel and Orion in company
1 Jul Mon 37.59 °N 19.46 °E
4 Jul Thu 38.08 °N 19.39 °E
5 Jul Fri 38.05 °N 19.47 °E
6 Jul Sat Working between Cephalonia and Zante [southern Ionian Islands]
At anchor in Zante Bay
9 Jul Tue Weighed
10 Jul Wed 37.13 °N 20.30 °E
12 Jul Fri Working between Cephalonia and Zante
37.36 °N 19.00 °E
14 Jul Sun At anchor in Corfu roads


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